News
Sri Lanka Survives Netherlands Scare
Despite a resolute fightback by the Dutch, Sri Lanka held on to register a 21-run victory in their first Super Six match of the ongoing World Cup qualifiers worked off at Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Friday.
After opting to bat first, A disciplined bowling from the Dutch saw Sri Lanka settle for a below-par score of 213 runs riding on the efforts of Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored his highest individual score.
The Asian Champions found themselves struggling from the first bowl after in-form Pathum Nissanka walked back to the pavilion for a golden duck.
Adding salt to Sri Lanka’s wound they lost two more wickets under five overs when Ryan Klein trapped Kusal Mendis for 10, while van Beek removed Sadeera Samarawickrama in the very next over to pin them further down.
To make things worse Logan Van Beek picked up his third wicket in the seventh over that of Charith Aslaanka (2) derailing the Lankans further.
Sri Lanka struggling at 34 for 4 inside seven overs, Dhanajaya de Silva showed some restraint and put on two of Sri Lanka’s most productive partnerships with Wanindu Hasaranga and Mahesh Theekshana.
De Silva struck 93 off 111 balls hitting eight fours and two sixes. He was well supported by Hasaranga and Theekshana, who scored 20 and 28 respectively.
De Silva and Mahesh Theekshana were engaged in a 77-run partnership for the 8th wicket to help Sri Lanka post a defendable total.
In reply, it was almost the carbon copy of the Sri Lanka innings when the Netherlands both openers fell for ducks, Lahiru Kumara removing Vikramjit Singh and Dilshan Madushanka accounting for Max O’Dowd.
Despite a shaky start, the Dutch revived their innings to a certain extent thanks to Wesley Barresi (52) and de Leede (41) putting on 77 for the third wicket before Hasaranga and Theekshana with the ball this time wreaked havoc, sharing five wickets between them. Skipper Scott Edwards (67*) scored his fourth fifty of the tournament to keep the Netherlands in the hunt. But he soon ran out of partners and his side succumbed to a 21-run defeat.
With this win, Sri Lanka has one foot already in the World Cup in India. They need just another win to seal the deal. They take on Zimbabwe at the same venue next.
Meanwhile, In the seventh-place play-off semifinal in Harare, Ireland secured a comfortable six-wicket victory over the USA, who remained winless in the tournament.
The USA asked to bat first, lost two early wickets but recovered with an 88-run partnership between Saiteja Mukkamalla and Sushant Modani. However, Ireland fought back, taking quick wickets and slicing the USA to 196 all out. Craig Young shone with three wickets.
In the chase, Ireland started well, thanks to Paul Stirling’s breezy fifty at the top and was helped by Andy Balbirnie’s 45* along the way as they chased the target with 15.4 overs to spare.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 213 in 47.4 overs (Dhananjaya de Silva 93, van Beek 3-26) defeated Netherlands 192 in 40 overs (Edwards 67*, Theekshana 3-31) by 21 runs
ශ්රී ලංකාව නෙදර්ලන්ත භීෂණයෙන් ගැලවෙයි.
නෙදර්ලන්ත ක්රීඩකයන්ගේ නොපසුබට සටනක් නොතකා, සිකුරාදා සිම්බාබ්වේ බුලවායෝහිදී පැවැත්වෙන ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරගාවලියේ ඔවුන්ගේ පළමු සුපර් සික්ස් තරගයෙන් ලකුණු 21 ක ජයක් වාර්තා කිරීමට ශ්රී ලංකාව සමත් විය.
ප්රථමයෙන් පන්දුවට පහරදීමට තීරණය කිරීමෙන් අනතුරුව නෙදර්ලන්ත ක්රීඩකයන්ගේ දක්ෂ පන්දු යැවීම හමුවේ සිය ඉහළම පුද්ගලික ලකුණු සංඛ්යාව රැස්කළ ධනංජය ද සිල්වාගේ උත්සාහය මත ශ්රී ලංකාව ලකුණු 213කට සීමා විය.
දක්ෂ පන්දු යැවීමක නිරත වූ පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක ලකුණු රැස් නොකිරීම නිසාවෙන් ආසියානු ශූරයින් පළමු පන්දු යැවීමේ දී අසීරු තත්ත්වයකට පත් විය. ශ්රී ලංකාවේ තුවාලයට ලුණු එකතු කරමින් රයන් ක්ලයින් කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් ලකුණු 10කට දවා ගනිද්දී තවත් කඩුලු 2ක් ශ්රී ලංකා පිලට අහිමි වූ අතර, වැන් බීක් ඊළඟ ඕවරයේදීම සදීර සමරවික්රම දවා ගත්තේ ඔවුන්ව තවත් පහළට තල්ලු කරමිනි.
තත්ත්වය වඩාත් නරක අතට හැරවීම සඳහා ලෝගන් වැන් බීක් හත්වැනි ඕවරයේදී චරිත් අසලංක ඔහුගේ තෙවැනි කඩුල්ල ලෙස දවා ගත්තේ ලංකා ක්රීඩකයන් තවත් පහළට ඇද දමමිනි.
ශ්රී ලංකාව ඕවර හතක් ඇතුළත කඩුලු 4ක් දැවී ලකුණු 34ක් ලබා සිටියදී අසීරු තත්ත්වයක සිටි අතර, ධනජය ද සිල්වා යම් සංයමයක් පෙන්නුම් කළ අතර වනිඳු හසරංග සහ මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණ සමඟින් ශ්රී ලංකාවේ වඩාත්ම ඵලදායි සබඳතා දෙකක් ඇති කළේය.
ධනංජය ද සිල්වා පන්දු 111කදී හතරේ පහර 8ක් සහ හයේ පහර 2ක් සමඟින් ලකුණු 93ක් රැස් කළේය. ඔහුට සහය වූ හසරංග සහ තීක්ෂණ පිළිවෙළින් ලකුණු 20ක් සහ 28ක් ලබා ගත්හ.
ද සිල්වා සහ මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණ 8 වැනි කඩුල්ලට ලකුණු 77ක සබඳතාවයක නියැළෙමින් ශ්රී ලංකා පිල ආරක්ෂා කළ හැකි ලකුණු සංඛ්යාවක් වාර්තා කිරීමට ඉවහල් විය.
පිළිතුරු ලෙස නෙදර්ලන්ත ආරම්භක පිතිකරුවන් දෙදෙනාම දැවී යාම ශ්රී ලංකා ඉනිමේ කාබන් කොපියක් විය.
ආරම්භය බිඳවැටුණද, තෙවැනි කඩුල්ල වෙනුවෙන් ලකුණු 77ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනැගූ වෙස්ලි බැරේසි (52) සහ ද ලීඩ් (41)ගේ පිතිහරඹය හේතුවෙන් නෙදර්ලන්ත ක්රීඩකයන් තම ඉනිම යම්තාක් දුරට යථා තත්ත්වයට පත් කළේ ය. ඔවුන්ට. නායක ස්කොට් එඩ්වර්ඩ්ස් (67*) මෙම තරගාවලියේ සිය සිවුවැනි අර්ධ ශතකය වාර්තා කරමින් නෙදර්ලන්තය තරඟයේ තබා ගැනීමට සමත් විය. නමුත් හසරංග සහ තීක්ෂණගේ පන්දු හමුවේ ඉක්මනින්ම ඔහුට අනෙක් පිතිකරුවන්ගේ සහය අහිමි වූ අතර ඔහුගේ කණ්ඩායම ලකුණු 21 ක පරාජයකට යටත් විය.
මෙම ජයග්රහණයත් සමඟ ඉන්දියාවේදී පැවැත්වෙන ලෝක කුසලාන තරගාවලියට ශ්රී ලංකාව දැනටමත් එක් පාදයක් හිමිකරගෙන සිටියි. එය සහතික කරගැනීමට ඔවුන්ට අවශ්ය වන්නේ තවත් ජයග්රහණයක් පමණි. ඔවුන් මීළඟට එම පිටියේදීම සිම්බාබ්වේ සමග තරග වදියි.
සංක්ෂිප්ත ලකුණු: ශ්රී ලංකාව ඕවර 47.4කදී 213 (ධනංජය ද සිල්වා 93, වැන් බීක් 3-26) නෙදර්ලන්තය ඕවර 40කදී 192 (එඩ්වර්ඩ්ස් 67*, තීක්ෂණ 3-31) ලකුණු 21කින් පරාජය කරන ලදී.
News
Run of Hope 2026 to Unite Kandy for a Cause – Sri Lankan Sports TV Named Official Sports Network Partner
Kandy is set to witness a powerful blend of fitness and compassion as Run of Hope – Kandy 2026 takes place on 29th March 2026 at 6:30 AM, starting from Bogambara Grounds.
Organised by the Voice for the Voiceless Foundation, this inspiring half marathon and charity run aims to raise LKR 3,000,000 to support single mothers and vulnerable families across Sri Lanka.
In a significant development, Sri Lankan Sports TV has officially partnered with the event as the Official Sports Network Partner, pledging full media coverage and digital promotion to amplify the message of hope and empowerment behind the initiative.
More Than a Race — A Movement for Change
Run of Hope 2026 is not just about crossing a finish line. It is about transforming lives.
Every registration, every step, and every kilometre contributes directly toward:
- Empowering vulnerable women
- Providing essential resources for struggling families
- Creating life skills and sustainable opportunities
- Strengthening communities through long-term support
All proceeds will directly support the foundation’s mission to create measurable and lasting impact.
Event Details
📍 Starting Point: Bogambara Grounds, Kandy
🗓 Date: 29 March 2026
⏰ Time: 6:30 AM
Participants will enjoy a breathtaking early morning route around the iconic Kandy Lake, combining scenic beauty with purpose-driven participation.
Race Categories
Whether you are a seasoned athlete or joining with family and friends, there’s a category for everyone:
🏃 2KM – Family Run
Perfect for families, children, and community supporters.
🏃 5KM – Fun Run
Ideal for casual runners seeking both enjoyment and challenge.
🏃 10KM – Expert Run
Designed for experienced runners ready to push their limits for a meaningful cause.
2KM Route Overview
Bogambara Grounds → Kandy Road → Clock Tower → Sangaraja Mawatha → Church Road → Bogambara Grounds
A safe, engaging, and scenic course suitable for all age groups.
Registration Details
- Age 12 and below: Rs. 1,500
- Age 13 and above: Rs. 2,500
Spots are limited, and early registration is encouraged.
Register here: https://forms.gle/XPeNesVytj1dpAbR6
Sri Lankan Sports TV’s Commitment
mmitment to supporting community-driven sporting initiatives that create real social impact.
Run with Purpose. Run for Families. Run for Hope.
On 29th March, Kandy will not just host a race — it will host a movement of compassion, unity, and resilience.
Because every mother deserves support.
Because every child deserves a future.
Because hope begins with action.
Stay tuned to Sri Lankan Sports TV for exclusive coverage and updates.
Cricket
Sri Lanka’s Super 8 Exit: Lessons, Positives and the Road Ahead
Sri Lanka’s journey at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup began with encouraging signs but concluded at the Super 8 stage. While the results did not go in their favour against England, New Zealand and Pakistan, the campaign offered important learning moments and valuable experience for a developing squad.
A Promising Start
Sri Lanka entered the Super 8s with confidence after a strong first-round showing.
- Wins over Ireland, Oman and Australia
- Positive intent in the powerplay
- Balanced contributions from both batters and bowlers
The batting unit displayed aggression and adaptability, while the bowling attack showed discipline in containing opposition line-ups. The early phase suggested a team growing in belief and clarity.
The Super 8 Challenge
The Super 8 stage brought a step up in intensity, quality and pressure.
Against stronger opposition:
- Early wickets placed pressure on the middle order
- Death overs proved demanding against explosive finishers
- Close margins — especially the narrow loss to Pakistan — highlighted how competitive the side remained
Rather than a dramatic collapse, the difference often came down to key moments not going Sri Lanka’s way.
Captain’s Leadership Under Pressure
Dasun Shanaka once again demonstrated his commitment both as a leader and a batter.
His unbeaten 76 off 31 balls against Pakistan was a reminder of his ability to absorb pressure and respond positively. Throughout the tournament, he continued to take responsibility in challenging situations.
In leadership, the margins in T20 cricket are often razor-thin. Decisions that appear balanced at the toss or mid-innings can shift rapidly depending on conditions, dew and match flow. Shanaka acknowledged those challenges with maturity, taking accountability while reinforcing belief in the squad.
Coaching Experience and Strategic Growth
Sri Lanka’s coaching panel includes some of the most respected figures in world cricket:
- Sanath Jayasuriya – Head Coach
- Mahela Jayawardene – Consultant
- Lasith Malinga – Bowling Coach
Their presence reflects Sri Lanka Cricket’s commitment to blending experience with emerging talent. While the Super 8 results were disappointing, tournaments like this often serve as stepping stones in refining tactical adaptability, particularly in high-pressure knockout-style environments.
Positives to Take Forward
✔ Young players gained exposure against elite opposition
✔ Several batters showed the ability to accelerate under pressure
✔ Bowling unit created breakthroughs at key intervals
✔ Team spirit remained intact despite setbacks
Importantly, Sri Lanka remained competitive. The five-run loss to Pakistan demonstrated that the gap between victory and defeat was minimal.
The Bigger Picture
International T20 cricket continues to evolve rapidly. Conditions, dew, match-ups and momentum shifts can determine outcomes within a few overs.
Sri Lanka’s campaign underlined:
- The importance of finishing strongly in both innings
- Managing powerplay momentum
- Sustaining composure in decisive overs
These are refinements rather than structural concerns.
Looking Ahead
This tournament should be viewed as part of a broader rebuilding and transition phase. The combination of experienced campaigners and emerging players offers promise for the next cycle.
Sri Lanka may not have reached the semi-finals this time, but the foundation for growth is visible. With continued consistency, fitness stability and tactical fine-tuning, the team has the ingredients to compete strongly on the global stage.
The focus now shifts from disappointment to development — and that journey continues.
Cricket
India Storm into Semi-Finals After Samson Masterclass; Final Four Confirmed
India sealed their place in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2025/26 with a thrilling five-wicket victory over West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday night.
Chasing a challenging 196, India reached 199/5 in 19.2 overs, powered by a sensational unbeaten 97 off 50 balls from Sanju Samson, who was named Player of the Match. The stylish right-hander smashed 12 fours and 4 sixes, anchoring the chase after early wickets fell inside the powerplay.
West Indies had earlier posted 195/4 in their 20 overs after being put in to bat. Captain Shai Hope (32) and Roston Chase (40) provided a steady start, while Rovman Powell (34*) and Jason Holder (37*) unleashed a late assault, adding 50 runs in the final 20 balls to lift the total close to 200.
India’s bowlers had moments of control, with Jasprit Bumrah picking up two crucial wickets, but the death overs proved expensive as Powell and Holder shifted gears.
In response, India lost Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan early, but Samson counter-attacked brilliantly. His 50 came off just 26 balls, setting the tone for a composed yet aggressive chase. Tilak Varma (27) and Hardik Pandya (17) provided support before Shivam Dube struck the finishing blows.
With this win, India officially confirmed their semi-final berth, joining:
- South Africa
- New Zealand
- England
The final four now promises high-voltage knockout cricket as the tournament heads into its decisive stage.
India’s balanced attack, explosive middle order, and Samson’s red-hot form make them one of the favourites heading into the semi-finals.
The stage is now set for a blockbuster finish to the T20 World Cup 2025/26.
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